| |
July 2001
Volume 65 |
Number 7
|
| |
|
Emery
A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture:
Glenn W. Johnson, ASA Executive Director, to
Present ‘ASA: Education, Science and Advocacy —
Past, Present and Future’
|
Roberta L. Hines, M.D., Chair
Section on Annual Meeting
Glenn W. Johnson, ASA Executive Director, will present the 2001
Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture. His lecture, “ASA:
Education, Science and Advocacy — Past, Present and Future,”
will be delivered on Monday, October 15, at 11:15 a.m. at the
Morial Convention Center. The lectureship honors distinguished
anesthesiologist Emery A. Rovenstine, M.D., past Chair of the
Department of Anesthesiology at the New York University Medical
Center and Director of Anesthesiology at the Bellevue Hospital.
Mr. Johnson has been actively involved in ASA activities since
joining the organization in 1971. He attended Lake Forest College
in Lake Forest, Illinois, and graduated in 1962 with a bachelor
of science degree in business administration. Following graduation,
he was employed for seven years as the office manager of a manufacturing
company. After a few years, the intellectual stimulation associated
with this position waned, and Mr. Johnson joined ASA in search
of “challenges.” I wonder if he had any idea what the
subsequent 30 years would be like? Mr. Johnson’s initial
title at ASA was Administrative Assistant. His primary responsibilities
included working with the Membership Department, the Medical Student
Preceptorship Program, Regional Workshops and the Sections on
Education and Clinical Care. At that time, continuing medical
education and scientific advancement were the primary objectives
of ASA. However, the changing landscape of medicine and anesthesiology,
particularly the political aspects of organized medicine, were
soon to offer new challenges for Mr. Johnson and the ASA staff.
The 1980s were a period of rapid growth for anesthesiology, evidenced
by a dramatic increase in membership. For a member who attended
the 1980 Annual Meeting, he or she would have been one of the
6,112 registrants who visited 249 exhibit booths. Compare this
to the 2000 Annual Meeting, which hosted 17,440 registrants and
749 exhibit booths. During this period of 20 years, Mr. Johnson
distinguished himself as a leader among the ASA executive staff.
His leadership expertise resulted in his promotion to the position
of Director of Administration. In this new position, he continued
to work within the Sections on Education and Clinical Care while
becoming increasingly involved with the Board of Directors and
the House of Delegates. Although he maintained an overall responsibility
for ASA’s membership activities, day-to-day oversight of
this function was assumed by a new member of the executive staff.
Concurrent with its leadership roles in education and scientific
activities, ASA emerged as a major advocate for anesthesiology
in the United States. This new venture required the establishment
of a Washington office and staff responsible for practice management
and lobbying activities. In 1987, Mr. Johnson was promoted to
Executive Director, a position he presently holds. In this role,
Mr. Johnson serves as the pivotal force for coordinating all ASA’s
educational, scientific and political activities.
Mr. Johnson was always interested in architecture and building
design. In 1992, a new ASA headquarters facility was designed
and built to accommodate expanded ASA activities. This project
provided “fertile ground” for him to apply his architectural
talents and design ideas. Mr. Johnson hired an architect and literally
started brainstorming with a blank sheet of paper, which was then
transformed into a three-story, 44,000-square-foot ASA headquarters
facility.
When I was gathering information for this article, I asked Mr.
Johnson if there were any particular points from his 30 years
at ASA that he would like to highlight. His response exemplifies
his dedication and commitment to ASA and its members: “Aside
from having witnessed rather phenomenal growth, I have been most
impressed with the dedication of ASA’s leadership. Not only
the President, but all of the officers, members of the Board of
Directors and House of Delegates and committee chairs and members
have given freely of their time and effort to improve the specialty
in numerous ways — from presidents testifying to Congress
to academicians lecturing at the Annual Meeting. What is probably
most difficult to put into words is the pride I have in ASA and
its members. I cannot imagine that a finer organization or a finer
group of individuals could exist. My initial impression when I
joined ASA was the incredible dedication and thirst for knowledge
displayed by the members, and if anything, that impression has
just become more heightened over the years. The willingness of
members to give something back to their profession challenges
all of us on the staff to be certain that opportunities are not
squandered.”
The Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture honors the memory of
one of our greatest anesthesiologists. It is quite appropriate
and fitting that this year’s lecture honors another great
member of our anesthesia community. We are indeed fortunate to
have someone of Mr. Johnson’s integrity, intellect and dedication
looking out for ASA and all of us. This lecture provides a perfect
forum for all the members to express their gratitude to Glenn
W. Johnson for 30 years of exemplary guidance and friendship.
|
Roberta L. Hines,
M.D., is Chief, Department of Anesthesiology, Yale-New Haven
Medical Center, New Haven, Connecticut. |
|
return to top
|